by Joseph Carlson
The third and final season of this Showtime original show has finally hit Netflix so I decided to sit down and watch the very first episode. With a great open, an intriguing premise and a superb cast Penny Dreadful stands out among other supernatural shows to make it something really unique.
The show stars Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, and Timothy Dalton. Each with a secret they may or may not be hiding from each other. Each of them also carrying some supernatural burden or knowledge that they are also hiding from each other. This added to the fact that the tone and the lighting of the show make it truly fraught with danger.
There are troupes don't get me wrong. Vampires, Mad Scientist, Werewolves and other things the show will introduce for sure. The thing that is unique about Penny Dreadful though is that it is so subtle in it's dialogue that you don't feel that you are being given too much information for the sake of too much information.
The first episode starts with the smallest bit of backstory and then Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) is recruiting a gunslinger, Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) to help her with a job. They then meet Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) who is trying to find his daughter in a vampire den. Yeah, this is the show opener. There is more but if your like me then you will try to resist the urge to call in sick and binge it all. There is action, intrigue, and just enough playful banter to make me want more as a viewer. Hopefully you will too.
Penny Dreadful is now streaming on Netflix.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.